How to Survive Societal Collapse in Suburbia

New York Times ^ | 11-16-12 | KEITH O’BRIEN

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On a clear morning in May, Ron Douglas left his home in exurban Denver, eased into his Toyota pickup truck and drove to a business meeting at a Starbucks. Douglas, a bearded bear of a man, ordered a venti double-chocolate-chip Frappuccino — “the girliest drink ever,” he called it — and then sat down to discuss the future of the growing survivalist industry.

The fact that Douglas not only told me where he lives but also invited me to visit him would be considered a huge mistake by many in the prepping world. Revealing your location runs the risk of compromising your Opsec, or “operations security,” an abbreviation coined by the military and adopted by survivalists. “I don’t even mention what state I live in,” James Wesley Rawles, the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a popular prepping Web site, told me. “All I’m at liberty to discuss, with consent of my wife, is that I live somewhere west of the Rockies.”

For Rawles and others, it’s a matter of security. Revealing your location gives the Unprepared a road map to the stockpiles of the Prepared, in the event of Teotwawki. “I don’t want to wake up and find out that I’m the go-to guy — literally,” Rawles says.

If civilization breaks down, Douglas’s house is definitely where you want to be. In his home office — the de facto headquarters for Red Shed’s six shareholders and two independent contractors — he keeps not only his iPad and his MacBook but also a ham radio and a C.B. radio. In his basement, there is roughly a year’s supply of wheat, rice and other staples. And outside, he tries to keep a year’s supply of chopped wood and, in his garage, 375 gallons of water.

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Nice to know where all the goodies are.

[dynachrome]

This guy is well prepared. For business, not prepping.

[PA Engineer]

If civilization breaks down, Douglas’s house is definitely where you want to be. In his home office — the de facto headquarters for Red Shed’s six shareholders and two independent contractors — he keeps not only his iPad and his MacBook but also a ham radio and a C.B. radio. In his basement, there is roughly a year’s supply of wheat, rice and other staples. And outside, he tries to keep a year’s supply of chopped wood and, in his garage, 375 gallons of water.

Piker.

[JRandomFreeper]

In his basement, there is roughly a year’s supply of wheat, rice and other staples. And outside, he tries to keep a year’s supply of chopped wood and, in his garage, 375 gallons of water.

Piker.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

LOL!

/johnny

[Blueflag]

He may be materially prepared, but he is societally naive.

I could discern no practical plan to defend in place, and no real contingency to get out.

He will live well til easily overrun.

[dfwgator]

[PA Engineer]

Here is a direct link without having to register.

[PA Engineer]

Beat you. ;-)

[One Name]

375 gallons of water might keep the cows alive for a week or two.

Need a better plan than that...

[JRandomFreeper]

Barely. But that's all that's required. Remind me not to go bear hunting with you. ;)

/johnny

[Cringing Negativism Network]

It is time for someone to start building things again.

Right here.

Not for survival. For building things.

[PA Engineer]

LOL. I only have to outrun you. ;-)

[JRandomFreeper]

I store water for events like last week when the main had a break up the street (without warning, of course). Be danged if I'll be inconvenience by an outage.

But if you can't make potable water from local sources, in large quantity, you are fairly screwed.

/johnny

[editor-surveyor]

>> “I could discern no practical plan to defend in place, and no real contingency to get out.” <<

.
And you garnered that info from what?

And “get out” to where? - and why?

Defending in place is a case of .22 shorts and a rotary carbine to deliver a slug quietly so as not to attract attention.

[PGR88]

bump for later

[One Name]

Ponds here are lower than I’ve ever seen; many are dry. Creeks have only a few stagnant holes left. Wells in the creek basin would be the only back-up if rural water shut off.

I have some pump jacks, leathers and such I stashed back in Y2K days.

Primitive wins a lot of country battles.

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm within (unhappy to do it) walking distance of a lake, water table is high here, and the creeks are running. I've also got rain-water collection that is normally used for the garden.

Primitive works, if it filters well. Boiling also works, after the big chunks are out.

You are correct that country boys can survive.

/johnny

[Candor7]

If civilization breaks down, Douglas’s house is definitely where you want to be. In his home office — the de facto headquarters for Red Shed’s six shareholders and two independent contractors — he keeps not only his iPad and his MacBook but also a ham radio and a C.B. radio. In his basement, there is roughly a year’s supply of wheat, rice and other staples. And outside, he tries to keep a year’s supply of chopped wood and, in his garage, 375 gallons of water.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Piker.******************

And since its a New York Slimes article they did not mention his 10,000 rounds of ammunition or his gun collection.Piker indeed.

[Blueflag]

Simple infantry tactics.

Three day siege. some H&I fire to deprive you of sleep and peace.

then ...

Direct, smart, simultaneous assault from multiple directions at the right time, or multiple times.

He doesn’t have the means to sustain a 24 X 7 X 360 degree multi-layered defense.

there is no way he and his family of four (guessing) could keep ‘me’ and my band of marauders from taking ‘you and yours’ in three days/ 72 hours. he simply cannot control the order of battle or its tempo. I can. It is simple to war game this.

Besides, piss ‘me’ off bad enough, and I’ll burn/smoke you out.

BTW, your .22 is laughable against what I would use. with what I have, If I can see you, you are in range. Not true for your .22 And I have NVG.

a family cannot defend their suburban homestead. period.

In truth I and mine will not be the ones who come for this guy. REAL barbarians will.

by staying, you condemn your family to die in place.

Done.

p.s. I read the article. He may have a good plan, but it’s not there, and he makes no reference to it.

pardon the typos; posting from mobile